Southern Africa · 17 Days / 16 Nights · From $3,485 AUD
Seventeen days, three countries, eight national parks and wildlife encounters you'll be talking about for the rest of your life. This overland expedition takes you deep into the wild heart of Southern Africa — from the iconic game reserves of South Africa to the elephant-filled waterways of Botswana's Okavango Delta, the sheer thundering power of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and the legendary Big Five territory of Kruger National Park. Travel by purpose-built overland vehicle, glide through papyrus beds in a traditional mokoro canoe, track rhinos on foot in Matobo, and watch herds of hundreds of elephants at Chobe. This is Southern Africa at its most real.
Arrive in Johannesburg and check into your hotel. Your tour leader hosts a welcome meeting in the evening to brief the group and prepare for the adventure ahead. Optional: visit the Apartheid Museum if you arrive early — one of the world's great museums, documenting the rise and fall of apartheid.
Accommodation: Hotel · Meals: None included
Cross into Botswana and head to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary — a community-run conservation project protecting both black and white rhinos. Enjoy a sunset game drive through the reserve, spotting rhinos, zebras, giraffes, and leopards in their natural habitat.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Travel to Maun, the gateway town for the Okavango Delta — Africa's largest inland delta and one of the world's great wilderness areas. Stock up on supplies and spend the afternoon with free time. Optional: helicopter flights over the delta for a breathtaking aerial perspective.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Head into the wilderness and set up camp at the edge of Guma Lagoon — a pristine corner of the Okavango panhandle. Fall asleep to the sounds of hippos snorting and frogs calling across the water. This is Africa as it was before the world caught up.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The highlight of the Okavango — a traditional mokoro canoe safari paddled by expert local polers through papyrus beds, water lilies and silent lagoons. Listen for the plop of hippos and watch jacanas walk on lily pads. Then head out on a guided bush walk to experience the delta on foot. Optional: cooking class in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Return to Maun for a relaxation day. Use the time to recharge, do laundry, catch up on emails or grab a sundowner at a riverside bar. Optional: catch a missed helicopter flight over the delta or take a boat trip on the Thamalakane River.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Drive east toward the legendary Makgadikgadi Salt Pans — one of the world's largest salt flats, stretching further than the eye can see. Evening sundowner bush walk through a magnificent baobab forest with your guide, watching the pans turn pink and orange at sunset.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Arrive at Chobe National Park — home to the largest concentration of elephants on earth, with herds of 500 or more coming to the Chobe River at dusk. Free afternoon with optional sunset game drive or river cruise to see elephants swimming across the river, hippos, crocodiles and enormous buffalo herds.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Morning game drive in Chobe before crossing the border into Zimbabwe. Arrive at Victoria Falls and join your leader for an orientation walk through the town. A new group of travellers joins for the second half of the trip — welcome meeting in the evening.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
A full free day to explore Victoria Falls — the world's largest waterfall by combined width and height, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Zambezi River plunges 108m into a gorge creating a mist cloud visible from 50km away. In the evening, enjoy a traditional Zimbabwean dinner with a White Star cultural performance — dancing, drumming and storytelling.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner (included)
Visit the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust — an Intrepid Foundation partner caring for injured and orphaned animals including cheetah and wild dog. Then head into Hwange National Park for a 4x4 game drive through Zimbabwe's largest park, famous for hosting Africa's largest elephant populations alongside lions, painted wolves and rare pangolins.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Pass through Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, and arrive at Matobo National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of dramatic granite balancing rocks, ancient bushman cave paintings and both black and white rhino populations. Set up camp for two nights. Optional: cooking class.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Full free day in Matobo. The highly recommended optional activity is a rhino tracking tour on foot with a specialist guide — approaching white rhinos on foot in their natural habitat is an unforgettable experience. Also: spot klipspringers on rocky outcrops, search for leopards (Matobo has one of the world's highest densities), and visit ancient San bushman paintings.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Cross the border back into South Africa and drive to Tshipise, a small town beside the Honnet Nature Reserve in Limpopo. Arrive late afternoon with time to swim in the pools, walk the nature trails and enjoy a quiet evening before the final safari push.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Travel to the world-famous Kruger National Park — South Africa's largest game reserve and one of Africa's greatest wildlife destinations. Arrive and immediately head out on an included game drive, scanning the bush for elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and rhinos — the Big Five.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
A full day in Kruger by dedicated 4x4 safari vehicle — the best way to access prime wildlife zones deep in the park. Your expert guide will seek out the full cast of African wildlife: elephant herds, lion prides, stealthy leopards, lumbering rhinos, buffalo, cheetah, hyena and the critically endangered African wild dog.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
One final morning safari in Kruger before heading back to Johannesburg. The trip officially ends at hotel drop-off in the city — no accommodation is provided on this final night. Optional: stay on in Johannesburg, or connect to a Cape Town flight for a post-trip extension.
Meals: Breakfast
2026 & 2027 departures — highlighted dates are available to book. Prices are per person in AUD. Subject to availability.
Choose a departure date from the calendar above, then click "Continue to Book".
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17 days across South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe — Okavango mokoro safaris, Victoria Falls and Kruger Big Five. From just $3,485 AUD per person.